Starter Sluggish after Frozen

Remember, refrigerating or freezing doesn't preserve the starter, it just slows its death.  Freezing is, I think, more of a shock to a starter than refrigeration, though it can help with longer term storage. 

When freezing or refrigerating a starter, three predictors of success are the hydration of the starter, the freshness of the starter and how long the starter is stored.  A thicker starter fares better than a thinner starter.  I usually shoot for about 60% hydration - or thick like window caulking compound. 

A freshly fed starter survives better than one that is mature. I feed my starter a number of times so I know it is vibrantly healthy, feed it one more time and put it into the fridge immediately.  I haven't frozen a starter, so this is conjecture and reading of Dr. Sugihara's papers.

The length of storage is also important.  I have kept a 60% hydration starter in the fridge for over a year with no hooch forming and good revival.  However, I don't suggest this as good practice.

When reviving a refrigerated or frozen starter, you need to dilute the acidity and feed it heavilly.  If your starter is sluggish after you thaw it, and my usual suggestion of doubling it twice a day isn't quite making it, I suggest tripling the starter three times a day.  This usually revives any starter. 

I would take a tablespoon of the starter, add about 1/4 cup water, stir vigorously, then add 3/8 cup flour and stir again.  This feeding starts things out and really dilutes the acidity.

8 hours later, I'd add 1/2 cup water and 3/4 cup white flour. 

From that point on, every 8 hours, I'd discard 2/3 of the starter and add another 1/2 cup of water and 3/4 cup of white flour. 

I suggest white flour because it has a lower number of yeast and bacteria cells on it than whole grain flour.  You are trying to revive a weakened starter, not start a new one.  So, the lower critter count is very important.

My experience is that if the starter hasn't revived in 2 days, it isn't going to revive.  You might try again with a fresh sample of your frozen starter.

When your starter is going, you might notice it is a bit bland.  The rapid feedings tend to favor the yeast, you need to bring the bacteria back into balance with the yeast.  So, go back to two doubling feedings a day, but let about 5% of the flour be whole grain flour - either wheat or rye.  This is about 1 tablespoon in a cup of white flour.

A few of the artial whole grain feedings and your starter should be happy again.

Mike

oops

I keep my starter (flour and water originally) in the fridge.  When I want to use it, I take it out and put it on top of the fridge after stirring it.  (Very warm up there.)  It grows beautifully.  I take out a cup, put it into a bowl with some warm water and flour, and leave it out overnight, the rest goes back into the fridge.  Next day, I take out 1 cup from the bowl, and put it back into the container in the fridge, and proceed with mixing up the bread which rises, by the way, in a couple of hours.  It works terrifically well without any extra feeding, and I only use it occasionally.  Is it because I make bread more than once a week, not just sourdough?  God knows I am not complaining, but why should my sourdough be so strong and healthy and active without all the feedings?

That's all.  No criticism meant.  I've read a lot about sourdough and was terrified at first to try it at all.  It was this site that got me thinking that maybe I should give it a whirl, and I've got to admit that the first attempt was off-putting in that my starter did nothing even after days of throwing some out and feeding and keeping it warm, etc.  The second one took off and hasn't stopped despite the fact that I don't feed it all the time, and it's gone from being fed organic ww flour to all-purpose unbleached.  So I am just curious as to why one worked and the other didn't.  I've used it a couple of times where it took more than 4 hours to rise, but it was cooler then; maybe the warmer, muggier days?

Adding to this thread many many years later. I have the same issue with my frozen starter. Carelessly I used up my very reliable starter without realizing it, so had to bring out the frozen-six months, put it in the freezer right after feeding. It’s been now a week since I’ve been feeding it once a day. It shows very little activity. ( I feed 25 gr. starter with 50 gr. water, 90 gr. ap flour, and 10 gr. whole wheat.) I did a 100 per cent feed, wet starter style, to see if the starter would show some activity. It did send a few bubbles on the surface. Some signs that are different from my regular starter is the dough is stickier, doesn’t have that yeasty, alcohol whoosh. All in all, trying to decide when to give it up and begin again after several years to start a new starter. Heart broken. 

I have been gone awhile due to health reasons so hello again, community.  

I used to be quite devoted to my starters, doing everything I could to maintain through all kinds of abuse - lost a 10+ year old starter on a move and was quite bummed, for instance.

Now, I am not so concerned.  I do new starters all the time and find within a matter of days, I have a fresh, vibrant culture to work from.  I don't even know if this is a word, but I believe certain strains are more cryolabile than others, getting lysed at a preferential rate.  So ultimately what one does is re-acclimates a culture to one's environmental conditions anyway.  Just a thought, why not start over?